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^^TKi P))8\iMiR!aa 



-^By mn Catbrop^ 



A STUDY OF HAW- 
THORNE .... 

Houghton, Mifflin & Co. . Boston 



SPANISH VISTAS 
Harper & Brothers . . . New York 



WOULD YOU KILL 
HIM? 

.^ ^ A NOVEL ^ ^ 

Harper & Brothers . . . New York 



GOLD OF PLEAS- 
URE 

^ J» A NOVEL J* JH 

J. B. Lippincott Qjmpany . Philadelphia 



the Scarlet tetter 



Ji Dramatic gompcsition 

« « « By « « « 



George Parsons Catbrop 
« lOalter Hamrosc!) « 



MDCCCXCVI 

THE TRANSATLANTIC PUBLISHEvIG COMPANY 

NEW YORK AND LONDON 









COPYRIGHT, 1896 
BY 

George Parsons Lathrop 



^ 



PERSONS REPRESENTED 

ARTHUR 

HESTER 

CHILLINGWORTH 

WILSON 

BELLINGHAM 

BRACKETT .... 

A SHIPMASTER 

PURITAN MEN AND WOMEN ; SOLDIERS; SAILORS; 
NEW PILGRIMS. 



^ 



INTRODUCTORY NOTE 

When Mr. Walter Damrosch asked me to write a Dramatic 
Poem suited for the music of a Grand Opera, on the theme 
of Hawthorne's " Scarlet Letter," two important artistic re- 
quirements had to be taken into view : First, it was necessary 
to make the movement of the piece quick and eminently dra- 
matic. Secondly, the lines must be not only singable in rhythm 
and in succession of vowel sounds, but must have a quality 
that would promote or co-operate with a rich and impassioned 
musical expression. 

It is but fair to say that the dramatic construction was the 
result of collaboration by the composer and the author, and 
was largely suggested by Mr. Damrosch. Obviously the 
character of Little Pearl was impossible in opera, and she was 
therefore omitted. The great elemental story of Hester's and 
Arthur's love, sin, suffering, and partial expiation is what we 
wished to treat. This is presented v/ith the utmost directness 
and compression. Gaps are bridged, delays avoided. Inci- 
dents are changed, remodeled, or transposed at will, and new 
incidents and moods are introduced. 

No attempt has been made to reproduce or to follow exactly 
the great prose romance from which the story is drawn. I do 
not suppose, either, that I have adapted from Hawthorne's 
pages more than two dozen sentences, if so many, in the 
whole work. My text is an original Dramatic Poem on the 
old theme. 

It stands, therefore, as a new work, which may be read for 
itself. But it is also designed, in every line, for music and 
song. I used an entire freedom in the form and the var3nng 
measures employed. To write verse suited to musical con- 
ceptions, and to interpretation by the orchestra and voice, 



however, is almost a distinctive branch of the poetic art. 
The poem must have abrupt changes of time and character, 
not always conforming to the traditions of verse meant only 
for reading, but obeying a large artistic law. In this poem of 
" The Scarlet Letter " a greater variety of feet, measures, and 
stanzas is brought into play. The form was molded by the 
sentiment, passion, or situation at each moment. 

Besides the meter and rhythm of each line, regarded sepa- 
rately, there is often a complicated word melody, or a scheme 
of emphases and pauses, running through several lines. 
These three, as a simple instance, while having each its own 
" time," belong to one continuous rhythm, and must be taken 
together to complete it : 

" For thee 1 would rule 
By thy shattered heart 
And ti'uth forsworn." 

Such " over -rhythms," as they might be called, correspond 
frequently to continuing strains in the music. It will be 
seen, then, that rhyme is in many places not essential. ! 
Although 1 have used it freely, I drop it the instant it might 
interfere with finer etfects. In other places, where there may 
be an appearance of partial rhyme, rhyme has not been sought 
for, but only that kinship of vowel-sounds called assonance. 
It may be well to add that certain faltering effects, or irregu- 
larities, are intentional, where regularity or smooth and round- 
ed verse forms would have failed to convey the mood or 
emotion needing to be expressed. 

George Parsons Lathrop. 



Cbe Scarlet Men 

ACT J. 

The Afar ket-P lace, Boston, with Prison at L., a rosebush in 
bloom growing by the door. Attack, a Church or Meet- 
ing-House. At P., the Town Mall, and near it the 
Pillory, P. C. Openings on either side of the Meeti7ig- 
House, giving a view of Boston Harbor. 

Puritan men and women, entering through these streets and 
at sides, assemble in excitemejit. 

Master Brackett, the failer, with a company of Soldiers, 
stands near the Prison door. 

CHORUS OF PURITAN MEN AND WOMEN. 

Chorus. How boldly shines the sun ! 

Yet outer darkness 
Enfolds yon wicked woman : while, within 
her, 
The wrong that she hath done 
Gleams bold as bale-fire 'gainst the light of 
day. 
O child of error fair, 
Caught in her beauty's own unhallowed 
snare ; — 
How boldly shines the sun 
To flare upon her shame ! 
But she, with soul that bums in angry flame, 
Stays close in her prison. 
There, there she lurks — the sinner, 
Hiding herself away. 
Quick! Bring her forth. 



8 



Bfacfcett. Who dares here command ? 
The Governor cometh : 
He only hath power to condemn. 
Wait justice, then, at his hand. 

\_Pushijig aside the people. 

Aside, there, stand ; — 

Aside, I say ! 
You bluster lilie the wind, 
For your will is the wind's rough way. 

Chorus. The woman hath foully sinned, 
Yet vengeance slumbers. 
To our folk she must expiate 
The shame she hath bro't on them. 

[ They surge toward the jail as if to 
attack it. 

Brackett. Be silent. Harken ! 

Chorus. Hester, the sinner ! 

Bring forth the offender. 
If she stood here before us. 
For pity or pardon 
To sue and implore us. 

No mercy would lighten her burden ; 

For judgment stern we would render. 
To crime give its guerdon : 
Her sin is abhorrent : — 

Death's doom we would award her, 

Since the law gives us warrant. 

To judgment 1 Condemn her ! 

[ They make another rush at the jail, 
but are beaten back by the soldiers. 

Brackett (to the soldiers). Guard the gate ! 

Enter Chillingworth, unobserved. 

Chill. What wrathful sound is this that rises 

loud.? 



9 



How fierce their anger 'gainst an erring 

woman ! 
O strange ! Tho' oft I've heard the 

hungry storm 
Roar for its prey ; — sharp winds of 

ocean moaning ; — 
More dreadful is this cry of human 

hearts 
That Icnow not mercy. 

Brackett. Behold, she comes ! 
Chorus. She comes ! 

[ The prison door opens. Crowd subsides into 
momentary hush. In the dark shadow of 
the corridor within the prison door a red 
glow is seen proceeding from a lanter>i 
hanging there. The soldiers form a lane 
through the crowd from the prison door to 
the pillory. 

Hush, hush ! Behold 
From the prison gleams 
A glowing flame. 
See you not ? See you not ? 

\Etiter from prison door a jailer, followed 
after a brief pause by HESTER. She stands 
for a moment on the doorstep, silent, dig- 
nified, yet vjoe-begone. Hester, accompa- 
nied by Brackett, crosses stage toward 
the Pillory. Some of the crowd point at 
the Scarlet Letter on her breast. Others 
turn away or shield their eyes as though 
horror-stricken and blinded by it. 

[Chillingworth, roused by their cries, 
moves to where he can see HESTER, and 
gazes at her, at first curiously. 

This creature — who ? 

Nay, what horror 1 'Tis Hester — 

My wife ! My wife ! 



Chorus. 



ChiU. 



Chorus. Jezebel ! Jezebel ! 
Daughter of hell ! 

See how serpent-like it twines, 

Yon letter, with its coiling lines ; 

As though it were clutching her breast, 

Of her soul in quest. 
Lo, she sports with her shame, 
And hath woven the letter 

With gaudy splendor of scarlet. 

The token that should be her fetter 

She turns to a mocking flame 
Of adornment. Down with the cursed 
harlot ! 
\ Punish her evil doing ; — 

Banish her shadow, that darkens 

Each true Puritan dwelling, 

Staining us all with dishonor ; 

Tempting God's wrath, in disaster. 

Far into hell-fire cast her. 

Down with the cursed harlot ! 

[Brackett and the Soldiers protect Hitter 
from crowd. /teaching Pillory, she as- 
cends it, and stands alone there, defiant. 

Chill. O blasting mockery ! O bleak despair ! 
All mercy withers now in fires of hate ; 
And from my heart, like a black smoke, rolls up 
Revenge ! 

l^Drum roll heard. 

[Enter, on the balcony of the Town Hall, 

Arthur Dimmesdale, with his senior 

colleague. Rev. John Wilson ; Gov. Bel- 

LINGHAM and other dignitaries . 

"Wilson. Hester Prynne, harken ! 

Thy husband absent, 
Far beyond sea — 



A child to thee here was born, 

Bringing disgrace and scorn. 

Heaven's wise decree 
Hath taken thy daughter away, 

Wafted on wings of death. 
If with her thou wouldst feel 

Heaven's holy breath — , 
No longer thy secret conceal, 
But thy fellow-oifender accuse. 



[Pause. 



Hast thou no word to say ? 

[Hester remains silent. 

Dost thou refuse .> 

[Hester is still silent. 
\To Hester, laying his hand on Arthur's shoulder. 

With my brother I've striven. 
My colleague pastor — 

This godly youth ; — 
That here in the face of Heaven 
He deal with you, touching the truth : 

That no longer you hide 
His name who wrought you this wrong 
And led to your grievous falling. 
Guilt-burdened, bow your pride 
Of sin : Hear conscience calling ! 

Bellingham (to ARTHUR). 

Yea, worthy sir, 
You are her pastor and preacher. 
Speak with her ; plead — 
Exhort her ; beseech her. 

(To Hester.) 

Tho' thou hast wandered. 
Far from the true path straying ; — 
The evil is in the deed. 



Not in the saying. 
Therefore talce heed : 
Confess ! Confess ! 
And the powers of heaven may bless 
Your late relenting. 

(To Arthur.) 

But you, O gentle brother, 

Alone can prove 
If she have grace for repenting ; 
This hapless mother, — 
Lost wife beguiled 
By alien love, — 
Whom fate holds far from her hus- 
band, 
And death despoils of her child. 

Chorus. Yea, worthy one, deal with this woman's 

soul. 

Arthur. Thou hearest them, Hester Prynne, 

And, alas, thou seest 
The maze of grief wherein 
I walk, the least 

Of those who dare sinners upbraid. 

Thy welfare was in my keeping ; 

And so thy sin must be mine. 

Fully thou hadst faith in thy guide: 
All the more, therefore. 
Imploring — yea, weeping — 

My prayer must ascend for pardon. 

Why, then, dost thou make no sign.' 

Nay, think ; if thy lips thou harden. 

Then I, — for thy poor soul's sake 
That I so care for. 
And even death would dare for— 

Thy burden of silence upon me take. 



13 

Qiorus. O wise and child -like, 

Simple and pure ; — 
With words of an angel he speaks ! 

Arthur (to HESTER). 

Not so ; but of one who seeks 

To save thee from dole. 
If peace to thee it would give, 
And thy spirit make whole. 
Or hope of salvation insure,— 
Tell his name who with thee now 
suffers. 
Though hiding his guilty heart. 
High or low, spare him not from the 
ban. 
Be not too tender. 
Nor pity render 
To him who, so, may be tempted 
To play the dissembler's part. 
Remember, he is not exempted 
From the doom that shadows thee. 

Think, ere thou repliest ; 
For if the truth thou deniest, 
O Hester, Hester ! — 
His soul with thine condemned may be. 

[Arthur sinks back, exhausted, with 
hand over heart. Bellingham and 
Wilson, anxious, support him. 

Chorus. Look, look ! He reels 

And trembles. Too sharp the stress 
Of grief that he feels 
For the wanton's woe. 
Though fallen low. 
Base woman, thou shouldst be proud 
Of the wretchedness 
His pity deigns to bless. 
Answer him, aloud. 



Arthur (rousing himself to fresh effort). 

Ay. Tell them who tempted thee. 

Hester (gently). From me the world shall never 
know his name. 

Wilson. Confession and repentance may avail 
To take the scarlet letter off thy breast. 

Hester (looking at ARTHUR). 

It is too deeply branded. 
Ye cannot take it off ! 

Arthur. Speak out the name : 

Chorus. Speak, speak ! 

Chill, (from crowd). Ay, woman ; speak, 
And give thy child a father ! 

Hester (startled and agitated). Ha ; that voice- 
No, no ; thrice no, to thee ! My child hath 

found 
A heavenly father. Ye shall never know 
Its earthly one. 

ENSEA\BLE. 

ARTHUR, CHILLINGWORTH, BELLINGHAM, WILSON, 
HESTER, CHORUS. 

Arthur. O marvel ! She will not speak. 

O wondrous kindness of a woman's 
heart 1 
Reproach to my soul. 
And agony deep ! 
For while I keep 
My secret apart, 
She, alas, undefended. 
This ODen scorn 



IS 

Alone must endure. 
Maddening silence, 
Torture accurst, 
That bums tlie soul 
Like lips athirst 
Where hell-fires roll : 

Ah, would the torture were ended ! 
Yet, ah, though humbly 
I here were to kneel. 
My guilt to unfold, — 

Fair fame and falsehood spuming — 
Too late for her weal 
The truth would be told : 
For the flowering daNvn 
Of her womanhood pure 

Is lost in the hot noon's burning. 

Chill. Then, if she will not speak, 

Hell close her lips, but open her heart to me ! 

He who has betrayed 

My sacred trust. 

To me shall atone. 

Ay ; vengeance is just, 
And in vain all concealing. 

The traitor unknov/n 

At my feet shall be laid. 
Himself to me revealing. 
But thou, who hast broken 
Thy vow in disgrace, — 
May the govemor spare thee ! 
For thee I would rule 
By thy shattered heart 
And truth forswom. 
Till 1 ensnare thee. 
And make thee moum 
Thine evil part, 



i6 



And his, poor fool, — 
With double woe contending. 

Cbortis. She will not speak : 

O devil-bound spirit ! 

What ! here among us 

Shall we then cherish 
Satan's own seed ? 
Nay, from the land let her perish ! 
Ay ; give her death ! 
Worshipful governor, 

Dally not long 
With her stubborn wrong, 

Who shows no repentance ; 
But swift unto death 

Give thou her sentence ! 
To death ! 
Harken, all harken ! 
What may he declare, — 
Our ruler undaunted ? 
The doom in his face 
By compassion is haunted : 
Would he grant her a grace. 
And will he so dare ? 
Nay, then, we demand 
That the woman, banned 
By law, shall have death, — 
The wage of her dark offending ! 

Wilson. She will not speak : 

'Tis death within her soul that makes her dumb. 
Yet not in vain 
May pity seek 
To wake again 
The soul from trance. 
Its slumber imbuing 



17 

With eager breath. 
Let mercy be ours, — 
Her life renewing. 
O powers of heaven, 
Give judgment wise 
To thy servants here, — 
That we to this woman 
Your will may truly make known ! 
Let your light on us rise. 
And your glory appear 
In the words of the just ; — 
Or be it with death or life she atone. 

Hester. Maddening silence, 

Torture accurst, 
That burns the soul 
Like lips athirst 
Where hell-fires roll ! 
Almighty Father, 
End thou this woe 1 

Whatever doom to me shall come, 

Spare not my sin ; 

But lay me low, 
Despised, accurst ; 
And save him, first, — 
That he may win 

The boon of thy pardon descending ! 
To guard his honor 
He, too, must be dumb ; 
But alas for the grief 
In his bosom pent as a prison ! 
May mercy, like rain 
On the withering leaf. 
His spirit renew. 
Till his life upspring, 

As a flower when dawn has arisen. 



i8 



BeUingham. Thq' we slay her, still lives the father 
We vainly have sought. 
Young, fair, of her husband forsaken, — 
So was her honor shaken, 
Her ruin wrought. 
Defiant, unbending 
She will not speak ? 
Yet loth am 1 to array, 
The law's last power to say. 
Her life shall now have ending. 
I dare not condemn her ! 
For may it not be 
That slow, sad time 
And penance profound 
Her heart will subdue ? — 
Till the truth of her prime 
She seek to renew ? 
Hear, then ! I decree 
Not death. She is free 

{End of Ensemble.) 

Chofos. She is free ! 

Bellinhg:am. But henceforth apart 

From other folk she must tarry ; 
And there on her heart. 
Her life long, carry 
Yon Scarlet Letter ! 

[Hester clutches at her bosom convulsively, and bows 
her head. 

Cbofos (mocking her.) The scarlet woman 
And Scarlet Letter ! 
What rehibution better ! 
Ha, ha ! Ha, ha ! 
All her life hereafter 
Round her shall ring scorn and laughter. 



19 

BcIIingham (to WILSON). Now, worthy minister, 
For prayer and sermon ! 
Pour on the multitude 
The dew of Hermon — 
Thy balmy eloquence ; — 
That in union we dwell to- 
gether. 

[ To the crowd. 

Into the church, 
Good people, repair. 

[Wilson and the others enter the 
Meeting-House. As Arthur 
passes the Pillory his glance meets 
Hester's. He turns away with 
bowed head, his hand clutching his 
breast, and hurriedly enters the 
Meeting-House. Hester r^/wojnj- 
standing on the Pillory, and 
Chilltngworth lingers near her. 

Hester. My heart is broken. 

shame and sorrow ! 

How shall I face the morrow, — 
Wearing this tolcen } 

\^Sinks down, fainting. 

Chill, (rushing up Pillory steps). 

What has chanced here .' 
She must not die. 
Now, necromancy, 
Come to my aid ! 

\He mixes a potion in a leathern 
cup, which, with case bottles, he 
takes from his girdle ; and pours 
the dratight within her lips. 

Hester (partly recovering). 

To mine anguish leave me: — 

1 am not afraid 
To perish alone ! 



Chill. Nay, look. It is I. 

Dost thou not know me ? 

Hester (starting up). Thou ! Thou ? — 

Roger Prynne, of the darkling brow ! 

Whence comest thou here ? 
Chill. Hush, Hester. Have no fear. 

Hester (trying to conceal the Scarlet Letter). 

But if thou know'st — 
ChilL The worst I know ! 

[A pause. 

Far over ocean straying 
Thee still — tho' long delaying — 
I came to find. 
But, lo, the unfaithful sea, 
Wrecking us, cast me ashore 

On a wild coast : 
Whence, wandering long, 
Through the silent forest, 
Thee still to find, 1 came; — 
Till here in the market-place 
I beheld thy face 
And thine open shame. 

Hester (in agony, growing faint again). 

Oh ! I can bear no more ! 

[Sie droops, and is supported by Chill. 

CHORAL. 

(Heard within the church.) 

Praise God, from whom all blessings 

flow; 
Praise Him, all aeatures here below ! 
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host, 
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 



21 

Chill, (proflfering cup anew). 

Drink this. Be strong. 

Hester. Will it bring me death ? 

Then gladly I drink it, 
To win release. 

[Chili., /iresses the cup upon her, 
and she drains it. 

ChilL (after she has drunk). 

No ; it gives thee life, 

And keeps thee living, 
That so thine infamy's mark 
Still may bum on thy bosom. 

Hester. O pitiless, thou ! and strange 

The charm thy potion has wrought ; 

As though all my thought 
Were artfully lulled, by thy soothing, 

To some dark spell. 

Chill. Yea ; — never to tell 

Thy secret, save to me. 
I ask not wherefore 
Nor how you fell. 
Since, from my birth deformed — 
The fault was mine 
To dream you loved me. 

{Choral ends.') 

Hester. Love 1 felt not, nor feigned. 

Chill. Yet thou hast wronged me. 

And the man still is living 
Who wronged us both. 
For him there can be no forgiving. 
Speak, Hester. Who is he } 

Hester. Nay, ask me not ! No power 

Can wring from me his name. 



22 



Oiill. As in books I've sought truth, 

Or, in alchemy, gold ; 
Him I'll hunt without ruth 

Till his secret I hold. 
Hester (shuddering). And then — you would kill ? 

Chill. Nay. Let the man live ! 

1 obey heaven's will. 

Hester. If its mercy should give 

That in honor he bide .' 

ChilL Like a star let him shine ! 

Yet, wherever he hide. 
He is mine ! He is mine ! 
Hester. Thy deeds feign mercy, — but thy words 

are terror. 
Chill. Thou'st kept the mystery of thy para- 

mour; 
One thing I ask : that thou keep, also, 

mine. 
None know me in this land ; yet here's 

my home. 
Near thee — near him. But thou — betray 
me not ! 

Hester. Why dost thou lay upon me this com- 
mand ? 
Chill. Thy husband, to the world, is as one 

dead: 

Henceforth the name of " Chilling- 
worth " I wear. 

Thou, recognize me not by word or 
sign. 

Nor breathe our secret to the man thou 
knowest ; 

For if thou dost, his fame, his life will 
be 



*3 



Hester. 



ChilL 



Mine to destroy. Hester, beware! be- 
ware! 
Hester. I will be secret, then, for thee — for him. 

Chill, (smiles grimly). 

Ay ; dwell in darkness, ever. 

How strange thy smile ! 
Oh ! art thou like the Black Man of the 

forest .' 
Hast thou enticed my soul into a bond 
Of ruin ? 

Thy soul, Hester ? No ; not thine ! 

(Choral begins again ivithin Church.) 

" God's voice breaks cedars ; yea, God 
breaks cedars of Lebanus." 

[Tumult and cries heard Tinthin church. 
The people troop forth in confusion, 
excited, with Bellingham, etc. Some 
of them carry Arthur in their arms. 

He has fainted. Air ! 
Help, help for our saintly pastor ! 

Arthur I Arthur ! 
How ghostly pale! 

\She runs to him swiftly; drops on her 
knees by him, anxious. The crowd 
angrily drive her away. 



Chorus. 



Hester. 



Chorus. 



ChilL 



Back, woman I Thy touch 
To his white soul is pollution. 

Tis he. O wonder of darkness, — 
1 have found the man ! 



[Curtain.] 



24 



ACTIL 

Th< Forest. Hester's Hut, on one side. At back an open- 
ing among the trees, showing a forest path lost in 
obscurity. Sunlight alternates with deep shaahw. Indi- 
cations of a brook among the trees; the light sparkling oh 
it fitfully. 

Enter Hester /rem the Hut. 

Hester. Ripple of the brook, and rest of the 

sunshine 
Asleep under trees : — 
Restless am I as the water's murmur 

And wandering breeze. 
Sunlight flies from me ere I near it : — 

The brook's moan stays ! 
Grief never dies from me ; still I 
hear it, 
Through nights and days, 
Sob 'mid the woodland — the stream 
intoning 
My heart's own woe. 
Ah, sad brooklet, why still art moan- 
ing.? 
What dost thou know >. 
Is it a secret of this dark forest 

Told unto thee ; — 
Fearsomely wrong, that thou abhor- 
rest, 
And so must flee, 
Whispering ever the hapless tidings .' 

Couldst thou but cease ; — 
Hushing thy plaint, with my spirit's 
chidings ; — 
1 should find peace I 



25 

[Hester sinks down upon a mossy 
bank by the brook, musing. A 
pause, the music continuing. 

Hester. Ah, still how gently, 

Blending, returning. 
With long endeavor- 
Fleeting as foam, 
Yet enduring forever — 
Sweet thoughts of home 
Awake in me yearning! 
And still my heart doth wander 
Far to its childhood blest 
In England yonder. 
O, innocence 1 flown like a bird from 
the storm -blown nest — 
Come back to me ! 
Dreams of the church-bell, and prayers 
that I knew — 
Come true, come true ! 

[She kneels. 

O Father in heaven ! if still 
To call thee Father I dare :— 
Grant me to do thy will ; 
My burden here to bear ! 
Unto my heart restore 
Sweet faith again, and rest, 
That humbly I once more 
May trust my soul to thy care. 

[After a pause there is heard in the 
distance a madrigal sung by new 
Pilgrims, from England, who 
gradually draw nearer. 



26 



MADRIGAL (of the new Pilgrims). 

Green are the meads 

Made new by showers, 
And hedgerows white 

With hawthorn flowers 
Win our hearts to delight. 
Who'd then at home be staying ? ', 
Up ; cast aside dull sorrow's weeds : 
'Tis time we go a-Maying. 

To the daisy's breast i 

The larks, above us, 
Rain down heaven's song : — 
" Oh listen, and love us ! " 
And all the day long 
Among the daisies playing. 
We remember their strain, a dream of 
the blest ! 
For so we go a-Maying. 

Hester. Hark ! How those voices 

Make answer to my longing 
With song well known to me of yore, 
That now, returning, my spirit rejoices, 
And brings dear memories thronging 
Back from the days of old ! 

Enter a band of Pilgrims, -with women, children, etc, 

[Hester advances, hesitating, toward the 
group, as though to welcome them. 

Two Poi-itan Men (accompanying the Pilgrims as 
guides). 

Nay ; hold her aloof. 
A witch she is. 
And wanton, too ; — 



27 

An outcast soul. 
Beware ! 

[The Pilgrims draw away from HESTER t« 
dread and scorn, Hester, suddenly remem- 
bering, shrinks, clutching the Scarlet Letter. 
The others continue to move away. 

Hester (alone). O Ruler of heaven! 
Are these thy creatures ? 
Can it be, Thou hast given 
To men thy features — 
With hearts of clay 
And lips of flame, 
To blacken thine image 
And a soul to blast in Thy name ? 
Ah, then farewell 
To meek repentance : 
No longer I dwell 
In mercy's bound. 
Lord, give them sentence 
Of anguish profound ! — 
As 1, too, fling them my curse. 
Like a brand from the fire of my bosom. 
May it bum and wither 
Their wandering souls, 
Hither and thither ; — 
Cling to them, haunting. 
And humble their vaunting, 
To crumble in ashes 
Of endless death ! 

[Goes into her hut, with a gesture of 
despair. 

The scene darkens, as though with a passing 
Cloud. 

Enter Chillingworth and Governor Bellingham. 

Bcllingham. What cry was that ? 



28 

ChilL The wildwood, sighing. 

Bell. Nay, rather the wail 

Of human sorrow undying. 

Chill. Portents prevail 

In this favored land, 
Where only a barrier frail 
Between spirit and flesh may stand. 
Belike you heard 
Some evil bird, 
Or the shriek of a dark soul winging 
Its way to the nether world. 

BelL Most learned leech, 

Thou art so skilled 
In nature-speech, 
With marvel filled, — 
Tell me, canst thou yet reach 
The source of wasting woe 
That, with agony slow. 
Consumes the life 
Of Arthur, our friend ? 

Chill. A strife without end ! 

The ancient mystery 
Of body and mind. 
Hidden and strange the history ! 

BcIL Much do I fear, — 

So great his worth. 
So tender his spirit and pure, — 
Not long he will endure 
These bonds of earth, 
But, leaving us lonely, 
Take flight to heaven. 

Chill. To heaven ? No, no ! 

Of such disaster be sure 



29 

There need be no dread. 

I would not grieve thee, — 

With thoughts of woe. 
Arthur 1 guard, as the night guards 
a flower 

From the sun strong-rayed. 
If the blossom shall flourish 

Or fail and fade, — 

Not well may 1 know. 

Bell. Thou knowest him dear to us : 

Save him ; oh, save ! 
Hold him still near to us. 
Far from the grave. 

ChilL Deep within me 1 nourish 

Desire that he live. 
And ere he should perish, 
My soul to perdition I'd give. 

Bell. Thou lovest him well. 

[£xit Bellingham. 

Oiill. (alone). Ay, indeed — with the love of hell ! 
With such love here 1 await 

The holy man. 
Why does he Imger afar, so late ? 
To yonder lonely mission he fared 

Of Eliot, our Indian apostle. 
Ha ! can it be he has fancied or dared 

My grasp to elude ? 

In vain were the plan ! 

For his life is pursued 
By the silent footfall, still, of my hate. 
Round him is woven the web of his 
fate. 



30 

While I, ever near, 
As leech and friend, 

Have watched the quivering wounds 
of his soul. 

My skill alone has kept him whole ; 

That over him, so, I might gloat, to 
the end. 
No, no ; he shall not die! 
As music his cries of pain 
Ring sweet through my brain ; 

And I live by my joy in his agony. 
He shall have life, — 
Long life of restless days, 
And nights of endless woe ! 

Enter, from the forest, Arthur. 

Arthur (startled). What! is it thou — 
My kind physician } 

Chill. Yea, Arthur ; waiting ; 

For even now 
Methought thou wouldst return. 

Arthttf. Good friend, I feel 

Thy kindly will ; 
Yet sometimes, weary, the soul 
Must wander still, 
With only God for its goal. 

ChilL Yet in thy weakness 

'Tis best thou lean on me, 
And yield with meekness ; 
For a grief at the spirit's core, 
Like smouldering flame. 
Will set its mark 
On the outward frame. 
Wouldst have me heal 



31 

Thy bodily woe ? — 
Lay open the dark, 
Deep trouble or wound in the soul 
below. 

Arthur. No, no ;— to thee ? No ; 

Nor to any physician of earth ! 
For a soul's disease 
To the healer of souls 
1 go; since He, as Him it may please, 
Can kill or can cure. 
But who art thou, 
With daring so sure 
Thyself to thrust 
'Twixt the sufferer's dearth 
And the bounty supreme, all-wise, of 
his God ? 

Chill. Nay ; I but told you 

That which I must. 
Be patient; and heed; 
Thy strength guard well. 
Election sermon to-morrow thou 
preachest. 

Thy mind must be calm. 
To weigh what thou teachest. 
And minister balm 
To thy reverent flock 
Who bow before thee 
And truly adore thee — 
Their shepherd, their saint and 

sheltering rock. 
Too well thy tender pity I know. 
Thy heart still bleeds for another's 
woe. 
And is ever oppressed 



32 

With the sorrow of her whose 
wrong is confessed. 
Arthur. Ha ! Thou meanest 

Qiill. Hester Prynne ! 

[Arthur, greatly agitated, seems 
about to remonstrate, or deny ; 
but Chillihgworth continues. 

Nay ; dare not protest : 
Thou Shalt not deny ! 
Turmoil of soul above all must 

thou dread ; 
For it saps thy force, and deepens 

disease. 
So good I know thee, so saintly 

kind, — 
For this poor woman thou long 
hast repined. 
And so have 1 ! 
But now, instead, 
Calm thy compassion ! Canst not 

appease 
Her conscience with thy sympathy.' 

{^Indicating Hester's hut. 

Lo, here she dwells : 
And, now we are nigh, 
Wilt thou not see her ? 

Arthur (excited, amazed). 

1 ? — Thou forgetest — 
How may it be. 
Since here, condemned, she dwells 
apart.? 

Chill. Thou art her pastor. Thou hast 

the right 



33 

To see her, talk with her — heart to 

heart. 



Arthur. 


Dost thou think that /, 
then 


ChflJ. 


Yea ; thou of all men : 
Thy heart is so pure. 
Ah, go to her. Go ! 


Arthur. 


And thou! — Dost thou wait 




near ? 


CMl. 


Nay ; homeward I fare ; 
These herbs I now must distill. 



Arthur (gives token of relief ; aside). 
At last ! At last ! 

Chill, (aside). Now let her deal with the man as 
she will. 
And the black flower blossom as it 
may! 

Arthur (to Chill.) 

For a time, farewell. 

Chill. I go. {Aside.) Fare ill! 

[Exit Chillingwokth. 

Arthur (alone) . So long it seems — long years ! — 
I have dwelt amid darkness and 
tears, 
In the bonds of sin : 
While evil has gnawed at my life, 

without. 
And remorse has drained it, within. 
And long, ah ,long since I knew 
The touch of a happiness true, 



34 



Hester. 



Arth 



or. 



Or words without fear ! 
Would God I might break the 

chains of doubt, 
And call to thee, Hester ! Hester ! 

[Turns away ; sinking down on 
the moss. 





Enter HESTER, from hut. 


Hester. 


Thou, Arthur, — here ? 


Arthur. 


Who speaics ? 


Hester. 


'lis I. 


Arthur. 


Thou, truly, Hester,— here in 
life? 



Know'st thou me not ; so long the 
time 
'Twixt then and now ? 



I know thee well, but long is 

the time 
'Twixt then and now, — 
Since our hidden joy was in its 
prime; 
For grief sets age upon my 
brow. 
And thou ; ah, thou, — 
Hast thou found peace ? 

Hester (pausing, shakes head and makes a gesture). 
Alas ! — Or thou release 1 

Arthur. Nay ; naught but despair ! 

What else could be mine, 
Since, tho' I wander whithersoe'er 
My life is wrapt in dark deceit ? 

Hester. Yet still thy people reverence thee. 



35 



Hence the greater my misery : 
For Satan laughs, while my people praise. 
Happy art thou, who bearest 
On thy breast the Scarlet Letter. 

Happy ! — what dost thou say ? 

Ah, better, far better 
To wear that raiment 
Than life-long lurk in deceit. 

Woe unto me ! — 
My letter in secret still doth bum 
With a pain that never and never dies ; 
As though I stood at the judgment-seat, 
Nor ofifered even confession's payment; 
While from the throne above, 

Like trumpet-blasts, 
I hear the accusing voice : — 
" Thou, consecrate and placed 
O'er men, to teach them purity, 
False art thou to thy trust ! 
Thy calling hast thou disgraced. 
Soiled are thy robes, and thou 
Liest low in the dust ; 
A withered bough, 
That God into flame unending casts !" 
Had I but one friend. 
Or a foe — the worst — 
To whom I might bend 
Each day, and be known as a sinner 
vile, — 
E'en so much truth might reconcile 
My soul to life. But, now, each 
breath 
Is falsehood, emptiness — death ! 

Such a friend thou hast — 



36 



Behold ! — in me, 
O'er the bitter present, the vanished 

past 
Of thy sin and mine, 
To weep, with thee. 

Arthur. Ay ! Friend so true. 

Forgiving and tender, — 
Could charity human 
The wrong undo, 
Then were I saved by the faith of a 

woman 
Thro' pitying tears of rainbow splen- 
dor. 

Hester. Alas, not only a friend 

Serves thy behoof : 
There dwells with thee under thy roof 
The enemy thou dost desire ; 

A foe accursed ! 

Arthur. What mean'st thou ? That man ; — 

Gray Chillingworth ? 
Thou sayest that he 
My soul's deep may scan .' 
Long since I felt his presence was hate. 
And the grasp of his hand the clutch of 
fate. 
But, since thou dost know, 
Tell me: — why is he my foe.' 

Hester. Know, then, the truth till now from thee 
hid: 
This man of dread 
Who now doth hold us both appalled— 
He, Arthur, was my husband! 

Arthur. Thy husband ? O hideous thought. 
Beyond belief ! 



37 

Woman, what wrong" hast thou wrought, 

My soul to lay bare 

With its anguish of sin, 
That he, like a hawk of the air. 

Might pierce within, 
And the secret black from my bosom 
tear ? 

Thou hast struck me a blow 

None else might dare ; 

And hast laid me low 

In the dust at his feet. 

Where now shall I turn, — 

By mine enemy pent ? 
No refuge, now, for my soul's distress, 
Save the tangle deep of the wilderness 

Wherein to hide. 

[Pause. 

Or else — ah, see ! 

[ Takes out a phial from witkin his vestments. 

Hester, herein 1 hold a key 

To the prisoning earth. 
Wide it would open the gate 

To a life beyond : 
For cunningly Chillingworth 
This poison distilled 
From herbs that give death. 
Who knows if God willed, — 
Or hell -bom hate — 
That I the potion found ? 
'Tis mine ; and be it a foe or friend. 
If its lips touch mine, my woe will end. 

Hester (seizes the poison -phial from him). 
No, no. It is not thine ! 
If freedom come. 
It shall be from my lips, — 



38 



Not those of death, that strike thee 
dumb. 
Why here abide ? 
Is the world not wide ? 
Nay ; bend thy steps to the path of the 
sea; 
It bore thee hither, and so again 
May carry thee hence, to make thee 
free. 



Arthur. 


I cannot go ! No strength have 1 






To battle longer ; 






Far, far from thee 




To toil and strive new life to find. 






The endless pain 




Of 


sin unspoken my steps would track. 
And fling me prone. 




Ah, 


think !— in distant lands to wander ; 
Exiled, unknown. 
To die ! 


Hester (softly). 


Thou Shalt not go alone ! 


Arthur. 




Hester ! 


Hester. 


With thee I go ! We look not back, 



But forth with brave endeavor. 

To thee my strength I lend : 
My arm will shelter, my love enfold thee. 
No siren of death from me can withhold 
thee. 

Let our hearts take wing — 
As here the symbol of wrong I fling 

From my breast forever ! 

[Tearing off the Scarlet Letter, she 
throws it far from her. The 
hood, dropping from her head, 
lets her hair fall hose. 

Strong are we and young : 
Ay ; thou art so, my friend. 



39 



And dost thou not still find in me 
The beauty once to thee so dear ? 

Arthur. O Hester ! the glow 

Of thy love my love of life renews. 
Thy blood beats warm : 
With thee I brave the storm 1 
At last we are free : 
The cloud of sorrow fades far behind us, 
And never the mist of the future shall 
blind us. 

Hester. Ay ; the past is gone ; 

We look to the coming years ; 
Since grief is done with, and dawn 
Makes joy of our midnight fears. 

Arthur. Thro' the forest the sunshine breaks, 
In a flood of radiance rolled ; 

And within us the splendor awakes 
Of happiness yet untold. 

Ah, Hester, the golden ray 
Of hope shines bright in thine eyes. 

Hester. Lo, the wings of a ship in the bay 
Wait but for the winds to arise, 
And waft us, with blessing divine, 
Far from this land of death. 

Arthur. O love ! each tone of thine 
To me is heaven's breath ! 

Hester and Arthur. 

Quick, let us haste 

From the desert waste 
And lingering shadows of olden sorrow. 
To follow the star of a golden morrow ! 

The white sail gleams 

With a light of dreams ; 



4° 

It beckons us on with gladdening 'hope, 
No more in anguish dark to grope. 

To a land of new life 

The ship's prow speeds : 
Nor omens drear in its flight it heeds ; 
For grief is but foam in the sharp keel's 
furrow — 

Quick, then, escape ! Nor cast 

One glance at the stormy past ! 

[Curtain.] 



41 



ACT m. 

The Market-Place, as in Act I., with view of harbor at baek. 
A crowd of Puritan men and women, intermingled with 
men from forest settlements. Sailors interspersed among 
crowd. Ch'.llingworth is seen at one side, conferring 
closely with the Bristol Shipmaster. A crowd of English 
Pilgrims, just arriving at the Market-Place. During 
their song Chillingworth leaves the Shipmaster and 
disappears in the crowd. 

GLEE. 

The new Pilgfrims. From loud winds blowing, 
And ocean spray, 
We come to the seed-time sowing 

Of IVlassachusetts Bay, 

Then ho, to the New World, greeting ; 

And a hey for the pilgrim, hey ! 

With hope for the morrow 

And every day ; 

Or be it for gladness or sorrow, 

In New England we will stay, — 
Each true man with his sweeting, — 

And the law of the land obey ! 

Shipmaster (aossing stage). But as for me — 

To the ancient island lies my way, 
However wild the waves may be. 
I, in sooth, myself am wild ; 
And yet, a faithful child. 

Dear mother England I long to see. 

The new Pilgrims. With a heigh for the Pilgrim, 

hey I 



42 

[Music of Procession heard in distance. 
The crowd surges off to one side, 
looking for the pageant to approach. 

Chorus (behind the scenes). Hark! They are com- 
ing in stately array. 
Hear the music proud, the roll of the 
drumming. 
Cheer, now, cheer for Election 
day. 
The minister true and the new magis- 
trate 
Once more will ope to us liberty's 
gate, 
And close it against all hardy sin. 
Thank heaven we stand the gate 
within I 

Enter Hester. 

[Those of the people in ho are nearest her, shrink 
away, 

CHORUS. 

Puritans. The sign of thy sin 

A magic circle has drawn around thee ; 
Scorn ever shall hound thee : 
Away; away! 

[ They leave the stage, 

Hester. Alone ? ay, gladly ; 

For not, as once, an outcast prone 
I lie at your feet. 
My freedom I greet. 
And move apart — no longer sadly I 
No longer to you a bond-slave I moan, 

Nor dark spells now my soul defile. 
On the Scarlet Letter look your last ! 
For, yet a little while, 



43 

Your tyrant sway is past. 
Tho' now 1 must yield, 
There in the forest vast 
The blight from my bosom I cast : 
If here 1 endure it again, 
To triumph is turned this outward stain 
On the joy that throbs within me, sealed. 
Soon, soon beyond your reach, 
Harsh people merciless, 
I fly to the whispering tide 
And the loved one's caress. 
Yon dark mysterious sea will hide 
My wrong and my happiness 
From your evil speech ! 

[To the Shipmaster, who has come near her^ 

God greet thee ! All is well ? 

Shipmaster. Ay, mistress ; if I dare say so f 

I have it on truth of a witch's word ; 
And witches, I've heard, 
Know darkness from light. 
Our barque is ready : 
At anchor she rides 
For a turn of the tides : 
And, wind holding steady, 
We sail to-night. 
Good omen I deem it. 
And company rare, 
That you, sweet lady. 
With us will fare. 

Hester. Dost thou not know 

The best of omens thou canst hope 
Will be his presence who goes with 
me.? 

Shipmaster. Is it truly so .' 



44 

Then darkly I grope. 
Didst thou not say he flies in fear 
Of hurt from the Puritan Fathers here? 

If wrong he has wrought, 
How can his presence with blessing 

be fraught ? 
Still — the better, say I, if saint he be ! 
Since thou spokest, last night, 
Of passage flight. 
Yon old leech came to seek a berth. 
He, too, it seems, would aoss the 
earth. 
If saint and doctor together go, 
Fair winds indeed must blow. 

Hester (aside). Ah, worse than death those words 
presage ! 

[TV Shipmaster. 

Yon leech ! What mean you ? 

Shipmaster, Why, he — the old chirurgeon mage : 
Know you not .' — Chillingworth. 

Hester. Then he, too, has seen you ? 

Dost tell me now, that he will sail 
With us on your ship .' 

Shipmaster. Ay ; with a favoring gale 

And gladsome weather. 
To these bitter folk we'll give the slip. 
Is it not well done .? 
He— the hump-shouldered one — 
Long has he known your 

friend : 
They've dwelt together. 
The leech will cling to him unto the 
end. 

\He leaves her and mingles with the crowd. 



45 

Hester. Lost, lost, then. All is lost ! 

Nor in this New World solitude, 
Or amid-sea tossed. 
Can we the black enchantment elude ! 



[S^e perceives Chillingworth at 
the opposite side of the Market- 
place, smiling at her with vindic- 
tive meaning. 

O devil -face and mocking smile ! 
Where watchful malice ever 

lurks ! — 
What serpent in that heart of guile 
So sombre dwells and slyly works, — 
Sharp gleaming on me from his 

eyes? 
Our plot he unriddles; our hope 
forestalls. 
With craft unknown. 
Closer he holds us than prison- 
walls : 
Hate is harder than stone. 
Ah, if unto Arthur 
One word of waming 
I might but speak ! 
Yet, alas, 'mid the multitude scorn- 
ing, 
The sole one who loves me 1 dare 
not seek. 
Help, help! Will God not 

find us, 
'Mid the snares of hell that 
bind us ? 

[Musit of procession heard nearer. 



46 

Chill, (on opposite side of market-place). 

In vain the wile 

Of flight or turning ; 
And wasted all her woeful cries ! 
For unto my hate, like incense burn- 
ing, 
Her flame of agony still doth rise. 

The last word is spoken ; 

Her last hope broken ; 
Her with her lover henceforth I hold 

In the mesh of my net. 

They shall render me yet 
A heavier price of their wrong, than 
gold. 
And what can their anguish weigh 
'Gainst the hurt to my hidden pride ? 

Or go they or stay, 
My vengeance they still must abide, 

And in torture burn ; — 
For all entreating of pity I spurn. 

Chorus (behind the scenes). 

How gayly they play ! 
They know the tune for Election Day. 

[Enter Band 0/ Musicians, from one 

side, followed by the populace, 

Chortis. The Company AncTent 

Of Honored Artillery ! 

\Enter escort of Citizen Soldiers — 
the Ancient a>id Honorable Artil- 
lery Company — in burnished steel, 
with gay plumes nodding over their 
morions. * 

Chortu. And the magistrates ! Lo, 

They come with fitting footsteps 
slow. 



47 

Enter Bellingham. 

Chorus. Thou who wast governor, — 

Praised be thy skill ! 
But now we greet our new ruler, 
The choice of the people's will. 
Beat loud the drums ! 
John Endicott comes. 
Endicott ! Endicott !— 
Governor elect ! 

\Enter, during this chorus, GOVER- 
NOR John Endicott, accompanied 
by other dignitaries, and bows to the 
crowd, right and left, Belling- 
HAM, Endicott and the others 
arrange themselves near Church, at 
back. 

Chorus. Behold our pastor — 

Dear iVlaster Arthur. 
And yet his face — how pale I 

A shadow sable 
Draws round him as he advances. 
Nay, these are fancies ; 
For see how firm, erect 
He steps, — as though some purpose 
high 
His wealcness were sustaining. 
God-given impulse only, past all fear. 
Could guide his forces frail 

To bring us here 
His treasure of teaching. 
And bounteous preaching — 
Sweet thoughts upon us raining. 
Welcome, our pastor : hail — 
Our hope that cannot fail ! 

{Enter Arthur, with Wilson, 



48 



BellinghAM, Endicott and the others 
■wait for Arthur to approach the 
Church, through the lane which 
they have formed. 

Arthur, standing erect, yet apparently 
weak physically, pauses. Then, in- 
stead of going toward the Church, 
he turns ; crosses the stage slowly, 
and beckons to Hester. 

Arthur. Hester, come hither: 
My Hester come ! 

[Hester, who till now has remained 
where she was, half crouching in de- 
spair, draws herself up and moves 
toward him slowly, as if spellbound. 

Chill, (starting forth from the crowd). 
Hold, madman ! Hold ! 
What dreams distraught 
Your senses benumb ! 
Wave back that woman ! 
I yet can save you : 
All shall be well. 

Arthur. Ha, tempter appalling, 

Thou art too late ! 
Thy power no longer 
My life controls : 
A spirit stronger 
Than thine quells thy hate. 
God is mighty above us. The soul 

of souls 
My will at last sets free from thine : 
I shall escape thee now ! 

Chorus. What trouble does Satan foi us design ? 
Some phantasy strange pursuing 
The blameless mind, his reason has 
shaken ! 



49 



Arthur. Come, Hester Prynne, 

Thou who knowest my sin ; 
Ay, Hester, come in His name, 
So terrible, yet in mercy so mild, 
Who has granted me grace 
At the final hour to proclaim 
My wickedness here, and face to face, 
The evil so long within bemoaned, 
But never owned. 
Aloud to speak. 
Thy offered strength around me twine ; 
But let it obey the will divine ! 
Ah, Hester, 1 need thee ; 
For stricken, weary and weak. 
Now at the end, 
Tho' it be but with steps of a little child, — 
Yon scaffold with thee will I ascend. 



[He points to the Pillory, taking iizs- 
TER'sAand. Tlu people murmur, 
but are dazed, and dare not inter- 
pose, as Arthur and Hester 
move toward the Pillory, and 
mount it. Chillingworth fol- 
lows them to the steps. 

Bcllingham. Some witchcraft, I fear, 
Or spirit impure. 
His mind doth decdve. 
Thou, Father Wilson, 
The devil adjure 
That in peace our Arthur he leave. 

Wilson. Arthur, Arthur, this magic forsake : 

To thy true self awake 1 

Arthur (standing with HESTER on Pillory). 
O people of New England ! 



so 

Ye still who love me, 
And holy have deemed me ! 
Your pastor behold, 
Not as you long have dreamed me. 
But, as heaven shines high above me,— 
So of all sinners the lowest. 
Thou Shalt reap as thou sowest ! 
From falsehood's seed 
I gamer disgrace : 
But, lo, 1 uproot the shriveled weed. 
And the flower of truth blooms here, in 
its place ! 
The Scarlet Letter that Hester wears— 
Ye have shuddered at, long : 
But its lurid ray 
Was but as a shadow of that fierce fire 
Of smothered wrong 
That, night and day. 
With flaming despairs 
My breast has scarred, and branded my 

soul ! 
Her fellow in sin, I have won my desire 
And reached my goal ; 
For I stand now beside her. 
The debt of my guilt's confession to pay, 
So long denied her. 
If any here still 
God's judgment deny, 
Here now ere I die 
Let them witness his will 
In the blood-red mark revealed on my 
breast : 
The Scarlet Letter— behold ! 

[Tears away the ministerial band /ram 
before his breast, and sinks back- 
ward, supported by Hbster. 



51 

Chorus. O wonder ! Weird and awful sign ! 
Saw you tlie living toicen 
Baleful blazing, over his heart 
Tracing its fearful sanguine line ? 
If truth he has spolcen — 
Ah, pity accord ! 
Arthur we praised, 
And Hester abhorred : 
So far we kept them in thought apart : 
Yet now, amazed. 
Together we see them brought, 
In the chain of justice God hath 
wrought. 

Chill, (crouching in despair on the Pillory steps). 
Thou hast escaped me ! 
Hadst thou sought the whole world over, 
No place or high or lowly 

Couldst thou have found 
Wherein to baffle me wholly, — 
Save this mean scaffold's bound ! 

Hester. O Arthur, loolc not afar from me ! 

Here close am I, and my love replies 
To the light of thine eyes. 
Turn thou not away ! 
Ah, whither, then, does thy spirit stray ? 

Arthur. To the land of the fountain unending 
Of peace my soul is wending. 
Where sorrow ne'er draws breath. 
Ah, far to wander we planned, 
Dear Hester — thou and I — 

To a foreign strand. 
But now I voyage beyond the sky — 
To that home I seek, the land 
Of death ! 



Hester. Wait, Arthur ! Wait! 

For dost thou not remember, 
I told thee in the forest 
Thou Shalt not go alone ? 

[Arthur sighs, looks at her longingly, then dies. 

Ha ! Hast thou fled me,— 
So swiftly gone ? 
My dearest one— O soul beloved ? 

\_Takes out from her bosom the poison phial. 

Thee, then, I'll follow! The poignant 

draught 
Brewed by our enemy's fateful craft, 

Will give me release. 

Thou, too, dear Arthur, 
Didst from it seek freedom , 

And I sought to save thee. 

'Twill save me from life : 
And sweet to my lips its coldness comes, 

As the cool winds that blow 
From mountains white forever with snow. 
Thou Shalt not go alone ! 

\^She drinks the poison and dies. 

Chorus. Hush, hush ! Their souls are fled. 
Peace unto the dead ! 
The flower of sacrifice 
Blooms in no earthly garden. 
Thou, Hester, over us triumph hast won ; 
Toward mercy turning our sullen hate. 
Thou, Arthur, though repenting late,— 
May God thee pardon ! 

[End of the Scarlet Letter.] 



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in America and Europe, with 
numerous portraits and fac- 
simile reproductions of invi- 
tations, letters, etc., from peo- 
ple of note on both sides of 
the Atlantic. J- ^ ^ 



Cbe Cransatlantic Publtsblng €o. 

««««««« 6$ fifth Avenue, new VorR 



^ POOKS ^ 

By George Parsons Eatbrop 
Dopels 

NEWPORT. J2mo, cloth, $1.25 ; paper, 50 cents. 

AN ECHO OF PASSION. J2mo, doth, $1.00 ; paper, 50 cents. 

IN THE DISTANCE. J2mo, cloth, $1.00; paper, 50 cents. 

"His novels have the refinement of motive which characterize the analytical 
•chool, but his manner is far more direct and dramatic." — The Outlook. 

Poems 

DREAMS AND DAYS. 8vo, $1.75. 

"There is in them a sincere poetic feeling. The sentiment is true, pure 
and elevating:.*' — Chicago Advance. 

^s ^v M^ v^ ^^ ^^ v^ ^S^ ^S^ v^ v^ v^ ^2^ V* 9^ v^ 

Ttnpctiam new musical (Uorks 

magner and l)i$ lUorks 

The Story of His Life, witli Critical Comments, By HENRY T. 
FINCK. 2 vols., J2mo, with portraits, $4,00, 

*'Itisa pleasure to say that he has written the story of Wagner's life and 
works with most admirable clearness, vigor, picturesqueness, and variety. In 
these qualities and in the compilation and ordering of facts, his work stands 
easily at the head of the Wagner biographies."— New York Tribune. 

musicians and inu$ic»£over$ 

And Other Essays. By WILLIAM F. APTHORP. J2mo, $J.50. 

This author, whose eminence as a musical critic is well known, presents in 
this volume a collection of essays on the following subjects : Musicians and 
Music-Lovers, Bach, Additional Accompaniments to Bach's and Handel's 
Scores, Meyerbeer, Offenbach, Two Modern Classicists in Music, J. S. Dwight, 
some Thoughts on Musical Criticism, Music and Science. 

*'It is delightfully suggestive, entirely frank, and really an Invaluable ad- 
dition to musical literature."— Philadelphia Phess, 

THE ABOVE BOOKS FOR SALE BY BOOKSELLBRS, 
OR SENT, POSTPAID, ON RECEIPT OF PRICE. . . 

Charles $ctlbner'$ Sons, is^-is? f iftD mt„ Dew york 



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